Melodeow



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

W. N. MANNING, OF ROCKPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

MELODEON.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 15,014, dated June 8, 1855.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, IVILLIAM N. HAN NING, of Rockport, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Melodeons; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing a melodeon with a reed box and perpendicular valves which makes the melodeon convenient to repair, improves the tone and action and can be manufactured cheaper.

The convenience consists as follows: in removing any particles of dirt from the valves or reeds and also for the purpose of tuning the instrument, without taking the instrument apart except taking the cover from the reed box which removes the upper set of reeds with it, as heretofore when a melodeon needed repairs to get at the valves it was necessary to remove the top of the wind chest, key board and reed board which required a great deal of time and labor, and to get at the reeds they had to be drawn out, which was apt to put them out of tune. The quality of tone and action is improved by the reeds being placed in the reed box which answers for a sounding box and gives to the reeds a more melodious sound, also the valves being on the outside of the wind chest prevents them from being forced open by the wind as is often the case of common melodeons; on the contrary this improvement closes them the tighter and makes the action quicker and more exact, also being perpendicular they will not be so liable to catch dirt or dust.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I construct the top of the wind chest as represented by A A in Figure l, which is an end view as if cut off to show a set of reeds and key with the slot or holes as U reaching the whole length of the box S to let the wind pass from reed box S down into the bellows; the reed box S is made as long as the key board requires with the perpendicular back E `and front D which is also the main reed board, and the cover C which has the upper reed board F permanently attached by strip E and cross pieces, making chambers as X represents, with slots as K represents, as shown in reed board D to let the wind into chamber X to feed reed H through slot I in reed board F, also slots in reed board D as shown by L to feed the main set of reeds represented by G. The upright valves as shown by M permanently attached to the keys as shown by N closes the slots L Ii in the reed board D.

O is a spring for lifting the key N and closing the valve M.

P P are key guides.

Z represents a finger with the key pressed down.

R in Figs. l and 2 represents a portion of a stop to shut olf or let on wind to chamber X in Fig. l.

T, in both figures represents one of the openings which admits the wind through slots represented by K.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The reed box S, Fig. l, made in the manner described, with the perpendicular valves M in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

IVM. N. MANNING. [n s] lVitnesses HENRY O. LANE,

CALEB NonwooD. 

